Terra incognita : an annotated bibliography of the Great Smoky Mountains, 1544-1934 /

The authors of this annotated bibliography hit their mark in attempting to meticulously document the early "written social, cultural, visual, natural, and scientific history of the Great Smoky Mountain region of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee." This rigorously researched collection contains citations and annotations for some 1,300 items on the region. They include books, articles, newspapers, government publications, dissertations/theses, and maps published between 1544 (de Soto's quill-and-ink map of southeastern North America) and 1934 (the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). Academic librarians Bridges and Wise (Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville) and Clement (formerly, Northwestern Univ.) clearly lay out their scope, methodology, and geographic parameters in the book's introduction. The signed annotations are grouped in 13 thematic chapters (e.g., "The Cherokee," "Early Travel and Exploration," "Music," "Recreation and Tourism"). Each section includes an introductory essay, ranging from one to eight pages in length, to contextualize the sources. The authors also maintain a free online collection, Database of the Smokies (CH, Jun'13, 50-5323), which picks up where the book stops, compiling resources published after 1934. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. J. Vance Middle Tennessee State University